


Swimming

by lunarsilverwolfstar



Series: August 2016 Prompts [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Almost Drowning, F/M, Fluff, Introspection, Older Man/Younger Woman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9160318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsilverwolfstar/pseuds/lunarsilverwolfstar
Summary: After a fright, Rose receives a promise and hope. Hope is good.





	

Rose giggled as the Doctor grumbled when she splashed him. She had tried to convince him to come into the water with the rest of them, but he was resolute in his stance, so she had retaliated. Really, she should be thankful that with his granddaughter, Susan, they had managed to convince the Time Lord to take them to an alien beach. And a beach he had taken them to. It was an isolated one, to be sure, but they had never requested their destination to be populated. She swam further, until her feet no longer grazed the bottom of the sea.

This was just fine with Rose because it was _gorgeous_. The sun shone bright, but the weather was a perfect balance of not-too-hot and not-too-cold, the water reflecting the beautiful turquoise sky, the sand was silky to the touch, and, what had to be her favourite part, the waves were constant. She loved jumping as the water rolled in, soaking her from head to toe, dragging her in little by little.

The beach seemed to suit Susan’s teachers, Ian and Barbara, too. While the young girl was walking along the shore, she watched as the pair shyly danced around each other, seeing more skin on one another than they had ever seen. It surprised her a little that they hadn’t gotten together yet, but then, teacher relationships were probably much stricter in the 60′s than the early 21st century.

Speaking of eras...she could not quite decide where the Doctor’s swimwear came from. It was a white and blue striped one-piece that covered him from shoulders to knees, sleeves elbow-length. When she pleaded he dress for their trip as well, she hadn’t thought he would do it. The Doctor was an elder gentleman, a no-nonsense type that stuck to his planet’s rules (except when showing off), and wasn’t above telling any of them what stupid apes they were. Well, except for Susan, of course, who was Gallifreyan like him and currently walking along the shore in her adorable, floral skirt and tankini.

She couldn’t understand him. He obviously wanted to explore and have adventures, but he was so opposed to change. She had joined the TARDIS crew after they’d already been travelling for a few months, relatively speaking, but had heard stories of how reluctant the Doctor had been to meddle. While she now understood there were some things they couldn’t change, it didn’t stick with the image Rose had of the Time Lord.

She had just admitted to herself that she might have a small crush on the man and it made her wonder what was wrong with her. Surely nineteen year old girls didn’t fall for men three times her age? Or more, if he was to be believed when he said he was over a hundred years old. Still, there was more to him than age and the looks that went with it. Maybe it was the fact that he was alien that didn’t make it seem so taboo (or did that just make it even more forbidden?), but she knew there was something different about him than any man she had ever met. Even though he gave a stern facade, she knew he cared a great deal, not just for his granddaughter or the people around him, but for the universe at large. He didn’t say it, but he showed it with how he taught them about the delicacies of time, the way he took them to new places, and the way he interacted with people from different planets.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice a large wave coming from behind her until it was too late. Gasping, she inhaled some water and, in her panic, flailed about. She tried to calm herself, but her brain was not listening. Just as she began to lose energy, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

Once she was at the surface, she began coughing, her lungs feeling like they were on fire. She allowed herself to be carried out of the water and looked up to see Ian staring at her worriedly. Before she could thank him, she saw a striped blur coming towards them.

“Put her down, you fool! She’s still coughing and needs to let out all that water she swallowed.” The arm disappeared from her waist, to be replaced with two gentle hands on her arms. “Sit down, dear. You need to let everything out before letting your lungs recover. When you feel up to it, we can return to the TARDIS and bring you to the medbay.”

She stared into the Doctor’s blue eyes and noticed a bit of fear in them. When she felt she had cleared her airway enough, she croaked, “Then we can come back?”  


He huffed, exasperated. “Then we can come back, silly girl. But you won’t be going in too far this time. I’ll see to it.”

She grinned, her tongue slipping out between her teeth. “Promise?”

“I promise. Come now.”  


Turning, she saw Susan staring at them in contemplation. When she caught Rose’s gaze, however, the younger girl smiled and winked.

Well, Rose thought, with a slight blush, at least she had the seal of approval from family.


End file.
